The 55th Regiment of Foot was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment, raised in 1755. After 1782 it had a county designation added, becoming known as the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot to form the

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

in 1881.

History

Formation

George Augustus, 3rd Viscount Howe, Half-Length, Wearing the Uniform of the 1st Guard

The regiment was raised in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

by Colonel George Perry as the 57th Regiment of Foot in 1755 for service in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

. It was re-ranked as the 55th Regiment of Foot, following the disbandment of the existing 50th and 51st regiments, in 1756.

French and Indian War service

The regiment embarked for North America for service in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

and arrived in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

on 8 July 1757 with the objective of taking part in the abandoned attack on the

Fortress of Louisbourg The Fortress of Louisbourg (french: Forteresse de Louisbourg) is a National Historic Site and the location of a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Its two siege ...

. Following the death of Colonel Perry, Lord George Augustus Viscount Howe was appointed Colonel of the regiment in September 1757. After the regiment arrived in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

in November 1757, Howe accompanied Major Robert Rogers, commander of His Majesty's Independent Companies of Rangers on a scout, to learn the art of "bush fighting." Howe's willingness to learn from the American rangers and his interaction with subordinates won him the respect of both colonist and British redcoat being described as the "Idol of the army." In the spring of 1758, Howe began to train and accoutre the men in the regiment more like rangers to better adapt them to warfare in America. He was killed in a skirmish the day before the

Battle of Carillon The Battle of Carillon, also known as the 1758 Battle of Ticonderoga, Chartrand (2000), p. 57 was fought on July 8, 1758, during the French and Indian War (which was part of the global Seven Years' War). It was fought near Fort Carillon (now ...

in July 1758. After Howe's death John Prideaux was appointed commander of the regiment. In an unfortunate accident Prideaux was killed by the blast of a cohorn while walking through the entrenchments during the

Battle of Fort Niagara The Battle of Fort Niagara was a siege late in the French and Indian War, the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. The British siege of Fort Niagara in July 1759 was part of a campaign to remove French control of the Great Lakes and Oh ...

in July 1759. The regiment, as part of General

Jeffery Amherst Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaign ...

's army, participated in the Battle of Ticonderoga and the capture of Fort Crown Point later that month. In 1760 Colonel James Adolphus Oughton took command of the regiment and led it up the Saint Lawrence River: the regiment witnessed the Montreal Campaign between August to September 1760. William Gansell became the colonel of the regiment in 1762.

Pontiac's War

In summer 1763, volunteers from the regiment were sent to reinforce the British post at

Fort Detroit Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit (1701–1796) was a fort established on the north bank of the Detroit River by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and the Italian Alphonse de Tonty in 1701. In the 18th century, Fre ...

, which was under siege from neighbouring Native Americans led by Pontiac. The British force was ambushed and badly mauled en route at the Battle of Bloody Run in July 1763. In 1764 many surviving members of the regiment were drafted into the 17th Regiment of Foot. Anne Grant, whose father was an officer in the 55th Regiment, wrote; "they were going to become part of a regiment of no repute; whom they themselves had held in the utmost contempt when they formerly served together."

American Revolutionary War

The regiment returned to North America for the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The regiment fought at the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...

in August 1776 and the Battle of Princeton in January 1777. It went on to take part in the Philadelphia campaign and saw action at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, the

Battle of Paoli The Battle of Paoli (also known as the Battle of Paoli Tavern or the Paoli Massacre) was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 20, 1777, in the area surrounding present-day Malvern, Pennsylva ...

later that month and the Battle of Germantown in October 1777. The regiment was transferred to the West Indies in November 1778 and saw action at the Battle of St. Lucia in December 1778. Most of the regiment were captured at the siege of Brimstone Hill in February 1782 during the French invasion of

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

. The regiment adopted a county designation as the 55th (the Westmoreland) Regiment of Foot in August 1782.

Napoleonic Wars

In 1793 the regiment embarked for

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

for service in the French Revolutionary Wars and saw action at the siege of Ypres in June 1794. It then moved to the West Indies and took part in the attack on Martinique in February 1794, on Saint Lucia in April 1794 and on Guadeloupe later that month as well as the capture of Saint Lucia in May 1796. It also helped suppress an insurrection by caribs on Saint Vincent in June 1796. After returning to England in 1797 the regiment landed at Ostend in 1798 for service in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. It saw action at the Battle of Bergen in September 1799 and the Battle of Alkmaar in October 1799. After returning home in 1800 the regiment was deployed to the West Indies again in 1800 and went to the aid of Britain's new found Spanish allies during the Spanish reconquest of Santo Domingo in July 1809. The regiment returned home in 1812 and, having been sent to Holland in 1813, took part in the siege of Bergen op Zoom in March 1814.

The Victorian era

The regiment sailed for the Cape of Good Hope in 1819 and saw action in the Fifth Xhosa War. It also served in the

Coorg War The Coorg War was fought between the British East India Company and the State of Coorg in 1834. Defiance of the Raja of Coorg (Chikka Virarajendra), a small state in South India, led to a short but bloody campaign in 1834. In February 1834, ...

in 1834. In 1841 the regiment was deployed to China for service in the First Opium War. It was selected as part of the expeditionary force that moved north from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and participated in the Battle of Amoy in August 1841. The regiment was the first to land when British forces disembarked from boats at the Capture of Chusan in October 1841. It landed on a beach and then assaulted an enemy strong point called Guards Hill, where it ascended under heavy fire but eventually took the hill. It then proceeded to take the heights overlooking Tinghai and then immediately descended and placed its

regimental colours In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some ...

on the walls of the city. After the battle, a detachment of the 55th and 18th Regiment of Foot were left to garrison the city. On 10 October 1841 the 55th again was part of the force that engaged Qing troops at the Battle of Chinhai: the regiment was left to garrison the city after the battle and remained there for the remainder of the year. In 1842, the regiment saw action at Chapu in May, and

Chinkiang Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) ...

in July. It then garrisoned Chinkiang until the

Treaty of Nanking The Treaty of Nanjing was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the first of what the Chinese later termed the Unequal Treaties. In the ...

was signed. Part of the regiment remained in Hong Kong after the war. For its service during the war it was allowed the addition of a dragon badge superscribed "China" on its regimental colour. The regiment saw active service in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

during the Crimean War. The regiment saw action at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septem ...

in September 1854, the

Battle of Inkerman The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, an ...

in November 1854 and the siege of Sevastopol in winter 1854. After returning home in 1857 it was deployed to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1863 and saw action during the

Bhutan War The Duar War (or Anglo-Bhutan War) was a war fought between British India and Bhutan in 1864–1865. It has been the only military conflict between the two states since 1774. Background Across the nineteenth century, British India commissioned ...

in 1864. As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 55th was linked with the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 2 at Carlisle Castle. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot to form the

with the former 55th forming the 2nd battalion. There is a memorial chapel for the

, housing the colours of the 55th regiment, at Kendal Parish Church.

Battle honours

The regiment received the following battle honours: *

(1775–78);

St Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindi ...

, 1778 * Crimean War (1854–55); Alma,

Inkerman Inkerman ( uk, Інкерман, russian: Инкерман, crh, İnkerman) is a city in the Crimean peninsula. It is '' de facto'' within the federal city of Sevastopol within the Russian Federation, but '' de jure'' within Ukraine. It li ...

, Sevastopol

Victoria Crosses

Victoria Crosses awarded to men of the regiment were: *Private Thomas Beach, Crimean War (5 Nov 1854) *Brevet Major

Frederick Cockayne Elton Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Cockayne Elton VC (23 April 1832 – 24 March 1888) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British an ...

, Crimean War (29 March 1855)

Colonels

The Colonels of the regiment have been:

57th Regiment of Foot

*1755–1757: Col Charles Perry

55th Regiment of Foot

*1757–1758: Brig-Gen George Augustus Howe *1758–1759: Brig-Gen John Prideaux *1759–1762: Lt-Gen Sir James Adolphus Oughton *1762–1774: Lt-Gen William Gansell *1774–1775: Lt-Gen Richard Lambart, 6th Earl of Cavan *1775: Gen

Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet (20 September 1720 – 1 August 1796) was a British Army officer during the American Revolutionary War. Life Robert Pigot was born in London, England in 1720. His two brothers were George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot, G ...

*1775–1791: Gen James Grant ;55th (Westmoreland) Regiment *1791–1811: Gen Loftus Anthony Tottenham *1811–1812: Lt-Gen Donald McDonald *1812–1814: Lt-Gen Sir

Colin Campbell Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...

*1814–1846: Gen Sir

William Henry Clinton General Sir William Henry Clinton (23 December 1769 – 15 February 1846) was a British general during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars as well as the First Miguelist War. He was also the grandson of Admiral George Clinton and elde ...

*1846: Lt-Gen Alexander George Fraser, 17th Lord Saltoun *1846–1848: Lt-Gen John Wardlaw *1848–1855: Gen John Millet Hamerton *1855–1856: Lt-Gen Hon. Henry Edward Butler *1856–1857: Maj-Gen Hon. George Anson *1857–1861: Lt-Gen Sir James Holmes Schoedde *1861–1862: Gen Sir William Henry Elliott *1862–1873: Gen Sir Patrick Edmonstone Craigie *1873–1878: Gen Sir

Philip Melmoth Nelson Guy Lieutenant General Sir Philip Melmoth Nelson Guy (1804–1878) was Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong and Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. Military career Guy was commissioned into the 5th Regiment of Foot in 1824. He went on to ...

*1878–1879: Gen Sir Edmund Haythorne *1879–1881: Gen Sir

Henry Charles Barnston Daubeney Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

55th Regiment of Foot, Company of Light Infantry (1759-1764)Archived
2009-10-22) Living History group re-enacting the light infantry company of the 55th Regiment during the French and Indian War and Pontiac's Rebellion.
The 55th Regiment of Foot, Capt. James Taylor Trevor's Co'y
Living History and reenactment unit portraying the 55th in 1776.

at regiments.org
55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot
Cumbria's Museum of Military Life {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1755 Military units and formations in Cumbria Regiments of the British Army in the Crimean War Regiments of the British Army in the American Revolutionary War Military units and formations disestablished in 1881